Eskimos are amazing people, whose culture is fully adapted to the conditions of the Far North. But what else do we know about them? Perhaps the only thing is that all their lives they have been constantly fighting against the harsh elements. Today we invite you to familiarize yourself with amazing facts from the life of the indigenous people inhabiting the territories from the eastern edge of Chukotka to Greenland.

We are already accustomed to the term “Eskimo” being used in a neutral context. However, in English language Another name for the people is used - “Inuit”. The reason for this is that the Eskimos themselves perceive the name of their people as offensive - in translation it supposedly means “one who eats raw meat.”

Greenland

On parliamentary elections In Greenland, a woman won for the first time in the history of the island - the leader of the Siumut party, Aleka Hammond.

Flag of Greenland Coat of arms of Henland

Eskimo kiss- it’s not even a kiss, but just mutual touching and a little rubbing of noses. It is assumed that in the cold, Eskimos do not kiss on the lips because they may freeze to each other. But in fact, only their eyes and nose are not covered with clothes, so they use them to greet each other.

Nutrition. The Eskimos ate primarily food obtained from hunting and gathering. The basis of the diet was the meat of walruses, beluga whales, seals, deer, polar bears, musk oxen, birds, as well as their eggs. Since farming in the Arctic climate is impossible, the Eskimos collected tubers, stems, roots, algae, berries, which can be found in very poor conditions. large quantities. Vegetarians would have a very hard time in such conditions. The Inuit believe that a diet consisting mostly of meat is healthy and helps keep people warm.

The traditional Eskimo snow dwelling is called an igloo.. An igloo built from snow “bricks” in the shape of a hemisphere is the best option for overnight stays in the mountains: no tent can compare with it in terms of comfort and reliability. And, despite the fact that such a home is made of snow, there is a pleasant warmth inside. An igloo is usually about 2 m high and 3-4 m in diameter.

Cosmogony of the Inuit. Eskimos fear the Qalupalik or Kallupilluk, a ghost that is just waiting to drag unwary people to the bottom of the icy sea. Moreover, such fears are not without common sense - falling into icy water in the north is tantamount to death.

General ideas about the existence of the world among the Eskimos

Inuit are blond. In 1912, Canadian ethnographer and polar explorer Stefansson Villamur discovered the “blond Eskimos” on Victoria Island. This has become one of the biggest mysteries in the archeology of the North. Presumably, a Scandinavian tribe previously lived on the island, which was forced out by the Eskimos.

The Eskimo language has over 75 words for snow. In 1911, anthropologist Franz Boas pointed out that the Eskimos have 4 unrelated words for this white substance. Apparently, over time this number has increased by several orders of magnitude.

The absence of iron armor among the Eskimos in ancient times is explained only by one very obvious parameter: they had nothing to make it from. But there was a need for protection. That's why they made armor from what was at hand - from the bones and fangs of animals.

Contact with other cultures gave the Inuit access to firearms and other modern weapons, but traditional Inuit weapons were primarily made of wood and stone. The main weapon of the Eskimos for sea hunting was a harpoon with a rotating tip.

The Inuit essentially live similarly to semi-nomadic tribes, e.g. Australian Aborigines. Many of them suffer from alcoholism. Harsh climatic conditions contribute to the development of numerous diseases, so the fact that the Eskimos still survive and continue to exist cannot but surprise.

Inuit maps, Greenland.

These are the maps used by the Inuit for navigation in coastal waters. These devices are quite compact, fit in the hand and can be read quite easily even in the dark.

font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; text-align: center; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; font-stretch: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(230, 67, 56); text-decoration: none; outline: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease;">Three wooden maps show the path fromSermiligaaq in Kangertittivatsiaq(east coast of Greenland):

• The right map shows the islands along the coast of Greenland;
• The map in the center shows coastline Greenland itself;
• The left map shows the peninsula that lies between the fjordsSermiligaaq and Kangertivartikajik.

AND Nuit women carried their children in parks called amauti. Amauti were widespread in the Arctic, Greenland, Alaska, Labrador and the north of Western Siberia.

Female National Costume- beaded parka, shorts and boots

Amudsen with Inuit children

We have the wrong attitude towards small nations. “Small people” does not mean “primitive people”!!What beauty women create with their own hands!!

Beads began to appear en masse in Greenland at the beginning of the 18th century with the arrival of whaling ships and missionaries. In western Greenland, beaded loops were used to decorate the edges of parkas (unfastened jackets with a hood), sleeves, and the edges of hoods. Over time, the shape of the women's parka changed, the hood became smaller, until all that remained was a wide stand-up collar.

Parkas began to be made from fabric instead of leather, and beads began to be used much more. Wide beaded mesh ribbons appeared along the edges of the sleeves. Beaded fringe, which previously decorated the edges of hoods, began to be sewn along the lower edge of the collar.

At the beginning of the 20th century, narrow mesh beaded ribbons appeared on the edges of collars, gradually widening until they became wide beaded capes to the elbow. The geometric patterns of beaded collars were usually consistent with the leather appliqué pattern on boots.

The earliest beaded Inuit collars that I could find on the Internet were from photographs of the British Arctic expedition of 1930-31. There you can see wide mesh beaded collars and beaded fringe decoration.

The archive has many pages with photographs, but there are not many Inuit on them, I will show a few more photographs from the British archive

For example, Danish The Royal Family V Greenland. . And the event itself: Queen Margrethe of Denmark conveysofficial law on self-government to the chairman of the Greenland council, Joseph Motzfeldt. June 21, 2009.Queen Margrethe and Princess Mary appeared at the festive ceremony in national Eskimo costumes. The Queen formally remained the head of Greenland.

Inuit underwear -Eskimo fur thong

TO As it turned out, the prototype of modern thongs was invented by the Eskimos back in the 19th century. Then, during short warm days, Eskimo women put on themselves and their husbands unusual underwear, reminiscent of modern haircuts. These people called them "naatsit".



The Eskimos of Greenland sewed naatsit from seal skins and used beads for decoration.

Fur thongs were not only intended to be worn during intimate moments, but also everyday use. Women were not shy about showing off their thongs to European researchers, who in turn tried to convince them that it would be much more comfortable to wear European pantaloons indoors. But the Eskimos liked fur thongs better.

19th century underwear:

For the first time, fur thongs became known in 1892 thanks to the explorer Captain S. Ryder, who went on an expedition to Greenland.

THE DECOLONIAL ATLAS. all photos from the internet

On the Chukotka Peninsula. Self-name - yuk - "man", yugyt, or yupik - " real man"The Eskimo languages ​​are divided into two large groups - Yupik (western) and Inupik (eastern). On the Chukotka Peninsula, Yupik is divided into Sireniki, Central Siberian, or Chaplin and Naukan dialects. Eskimos Chukotka residents, along with their native languages, speak Russian and Chukotka.

The origins of the Eskimos are controversial. Eskimos are direct heirs ancient culture, common from the end of the first millennium BC. along the shores of the Bering Sea. Earliest Eskimo culture- Old Bering Sea (before the 8th century AD). It is characterized by the prey of marine mammals, the use of multi-person leather kayaks, and complex harpoons. From the 7th century AD until the XIII-XV centuries. was going on development whaling, and in the more northern regions of Alaska and Chukotka - hunting for small pinnipeds.

Main view economic activity there was sea hunting. Before mid-19th V. The main hunting tools were a spear with a double-edged arrow-shaped tip (pana), a rotating harpoon (ung'ak') with a detachable bone tip. To travel on water they used canoes and kayaks. A kayak (anyapik) is light, fast and stable on the water. Its wooden frame was covered with walrus skin. There were canoes different types- from single-seaters to huge 25-seater sailboats.

They moved on land on arc-dust sledges. The dogs were harnessed with a fan. From the middle of the 19th century. The sleds were pulled by dogs drawn by a train (an East Siberian type team). Short, dust-free sleighs with runners made of walrus tusks (kanrak) were also used. They walked on snow on “racket” skis (in the form of a frame of two slats with fastened ends and transverse struts, intertwined with sealskin straps and lined with bone plates at the bottom), on ice with the help of special bone spikes attached to shoes.

The method of hunting sea animals depended on their seasonal migrations. Two hunting seasons for whales corresponded to the time of their passage through the Bering Strait: in the spring to the north, in the fall - to the south. Whales were shot with harpoons from several canoes, and later with harpoon cannons.

The most important hunting object was the walrus. WITH late XIX V. new fishing weapons and equipment appeared. Hunting for fur-bearing animals spread. The production of walruses and seals replaced whaling, which had fallen into decline. When there was not enough meat from sea animals, they shot wild deer and mountain sheep, birds with a bow, and caught fish.

The settlements were located so that it was convenient to observe the movement of sea animals - at the base of pebble spits protruding into the sea, on elevated places. Most ancient type dwellings are a stone building with a floor sunk into the ground. The walls were made of stones and whale ribs. The frame was covered with deer skins, covered with a layer of turf and stones, and then covered with skins again.
Until the 18th century, and in some places even later, they lived in semi-underground frame dwellings (nyn`lyu). In the XVII-XVIII centuries. frame buildings (myn`tyg`ak) appeared, similar to Chukchi yaranga. The summer dwelling was a quadrangular tent (pylyuk), shaped like an obliquely truncated pyramid, and the wall with the entrance was higher than the opposite one. The frame of this dwelling was built from logs and poles and covered with walrus skins. Since the end of the 19th century. light plank houses with a gable roof and windows appeared.

The clothing of the Asian Eskimos is made from deer and seal skins. Back in the 19th century. They also made clothes from bird skins.

Fur stockings and seal torbas (kamgyk) were put on the legs. Waterproof shoes were made from tanned seal skins without wool. Fur hats and mittens were worn only when moving (migration). Clothes were decorated with embroidery or fur mosaics. Until the 18th century Eskimos, piercing the nasal septum or lower lip, they hung walrus teeth, bone rings and glass beads.

Men's tattoo - circles in the corners of the mouth, women's - straight or concave parallel lines on the forehead, nose and chin. A more complex geometric pattern was applied to the cheeks. They covered their arms, hands, and forearms with tattoos.

Traditional food is meat and fat of seals, walruses and whales. The meat was eaten raw, dried, dried, frozen, boiled, and stored for the winter: fermented in pits and eaten with fat, sometimes half-cooked. Raw whale oil with a layer of cartilaginous skin (mantak) was considered a delicacy. The fish was dried and dried, and eaten fresh frozen in winter. Venison was highly valued and was exchanged among the Chukchi for the skins of sea animals.

Kinship was calculated on the paternal side, and marriage was patrilocal. Each settlement consisted of several groups of related families, which in winter occupied a separate half-dugout, in which each family had its own canopy. In the summer, families lived in separate tents. Facts of working for a wife were known, there were customs of wooing children, marrying a boy to adult girl, the custom of “marriage partnership”, when two men exchanged wives as a sign of friendship (hospitable hetaerism). There was no marriage ceremony as such. Polygamy occurred in wealthy families.

Eskimos were practically not Christianized. They believed in spirits, the masters of all living things and inanimate objects, natural phenomena, localities, wind directions, various human states, into a person’s relationship with any animal or object. There were ideas about the creator of the world, they called him Sila. He was the creator and master of the universe, and ensured that the customs of his ancestors were observed. The main sea deity, the mistress of sea animals, was Sedna, who sent prey to people. Evil spirits were represented in the form of giants or dwarfs, or other fantastic creatures, which sent illnesses and misfortunes to people.

In each village there lived a shaman (usually a man, but female shamans are also known), who acted as an intermediary between evil spirits and people. Only one who heard the voice of a helping spirit could become a shaman. After this, the future shaman had to meet privately with the spirits and enter into an alliance with them regarding mediation.

Fishing holidays were dedicated to the hunt for large animals. Especially famous are the holidays on the occasion of whale catching, which were held either in the fall, at the end of the hunting season - “seeing off the whale”, or in the spring - “meeting the whale”. There were also holidays for the beginning of sea hunting, or “launching the canoes” and a holiday for “walrus heads,” dedicated to the results of the spring-summer fishery.

Eskimo folklore is rich and varied. All types oral creativity They are divided into unipak - "message", "news" and into unipamsyuk - stories about events in the past, heroic legends, fairy tales or myths. Among fairy tales, a special place is occupied by the cycle about the raven Kutha, the demiurge and trickster who creates and develops the universe.
The earliest stages of the development of the Eskimo Arctic culture include bone carving: sculptural miniatures, and artistic bone engraving. Hunting equipment and objects were covered with ornaments household items; images of animals and fantastic creatures served as amulets and decorations.

Music (aingananga) is predominantly vocal. Songs are divided into “large” public ones - hymn songs sung by ensembles and “small” intimate ones - “songs of the soul”. They are performed solo, sometimes accompanied by a tambourine.

The tambourine is a personal and family shrine (sometimes used by shamans). It occupies a central place in

Eskimos

Eskimos-s; pl. People living on the coast of the Chukotka Peninsula in Russia, on the Arctic coast North America and in Greenland; representatives of this people.

◁ Eskimo, -a; m. Eskimo, -i; pl. genus.-juice, date-scam; and. Eskimo, oh, oh.

(self-name - Inuit), a group of peoples in Alaska (USA, 38 thousand people, 1995), northern Canada (28 thousand people), the island of Greenland (Greenlanders, 47 thousand people) and in Russia (Magadan region and Wrangel Island, 1.7 thousand people, 1992). Eskimo language.

Eskimos, a people in the northern polar regions of the Western Hemisphere (from the eastern tip of Chukotka to Greenland), live in Alaska (USA, 44 thousand people, 2000), northern Canada (41 thousand people, 1996), the island of Greenland (50.9 thousand people, 1998) and in the Russian Federation (Chukotka and Wrangel Island, 1.7 thousand people, 2002). The total number is about 130 thousand people (2000, estimate).
Eastern Eskimos call themselves Inuit, Western Eskimos call themselves Yupik. They speak the Eskimo language, which is divided into two large groups of dialects - Yupik (western) and Inupik (eastern). In Chukotka, Yupik is divided into Sirenik, Central Siberian (Chaplin) and Naukan dialects. The Eskimos of Chukotka, along with their native languages, speak Russian and Chukotka.
Anthropologically, Eskimos belong to the Arctic type of Mongoloids. The Eskimo ethnic community formed about 5-4 thousand years ago in the Bering Sea region and settled east to Greenland, reaching it long before our era. The Eskimos adapted to life in the Arctic by creating a rotating harpoon for hunting sea animals, a kayak boat, an igloo in the snow, and thick fur clothing.
The Eskimos wore fur stockings and seal torbas (kamgyk) on their feet. Waterproof shoes were made from tanned seal skins without wool. Clothes were decorated with embroidery or fur mosaics. Until the 18th century, Eskimos used walrus teeth, bone rings, and glass beads to pierce the nasal septum or lower lip. Eskimo men's tattoo - circles in the corners of the mouth, women's - straight or concave parallel lines on the forehead, nose and chin. A more complex geometric pattern was applied to the cheeks. Arms, hands, and forearms were covered with tattoos.
To travel on water they used canoes and kayaks. The light and fast canoe (anyapik) was stable on the water. Its wooden frame was covered with walrus skin. There were different types of kayaks - from single-seater boats to 25-seater sailboats. On land, the Eskimos moved on arc-dust sledges. The dogs were harnessed in a fan style. Since the mid-19th century, sleds were pulled by dogs drawn by a train (East Siberian type sled). Short, dust-free sleighs with runners made of walrus tusks (kanrak) were also used. They walked on snow on skis (in the form of a frame of two slats with fastened ends and transverse struts, intertwined with sealskin straps and lined with bone plates at the bottom), on ice with the help of special bone spikes attached to shoes.
The distinctive culture of the Eskimos in the 18th and 19th centuries was characterized by a combination of hunting sea animals and caribou, significant remnants of primitive collectivistic norms in the distribution of prey, and life in territorial communities. The method of hunting sea animals depended on their seasonal migrations. Two seasons of whale hunting corresponded to the time of their passage through the Bering Strait: in the spring to the north, in the fall - to the south. Whales were shot with harpoons from several canoes, and later with harpoon cannons.
The most important hunting object was the walrus. Since the end of the 19th century, new hunting weapons and equipment have appeared, and hunting for fur-bearing animals has spread. The production of walruses and seals replaced whaling, which had fallen into decline. When there was not enough meat from sea animals, they shot wild deer and mountain sheep, birds with a bow, and caught fish.
The settlements were located so that it was convenient to observe the movement of sea animals - at the base of pebble spits protruding into the sea, on elevated places. The most ancient type of dwelling is a stone building with a floor sunk into the ground. The walls were made of stones and whale ribs. The frame was covered with deer skins, covered with a layer of turf and stones, and then covered with skins again.
Until the 18th century, and in some places later, the Eskimos lived in semi-underground frame dwellings. In the 17th and 18th centuries, frame buildings similar to the Chukchi yaranga appeared. The summer dwelling was a quadrangular tent, shaped like an obliquely truncated pyramid, and the wall with the entrance was higher than the opposite one. The frame of this dwelling was built from logs and poles and covered with walrus skins. Since the end of the 19th century, light plank houses with a gable roof and windows appeared.
The traditional food of the Eskimos is the meat and fat of seals, walruses and whales. The meat was eaten raw, dried, dried, frozen, boiled, and stored for the winter: fermented in pits and eaten with fat, sometimes half-cooked. Raw whale oil with a layer of cartilaginous skin (mantak) was considered a delicacy. The fish was dried and dried, and eaten fresh frozen in winter. Venison was highly valued and was exchanged among the Chukchi for the skins of sea animals.
The Eskimos counted kinship along the paternal line, and marriage was patrilocal. Each settlement consisted of several groups of related families, which in winter occupied a separate half-dugout, in which each family had its own canopy. In the summer, families lived in separate tents. Facts of working for a wife were known, there were customs of wooing children, marrying a boy to an adult girl, the custom of “marriage partnership”, when two men exchanged wives as a sign of friendship (hospitable hetaerism). There was no marriage ceremony as such. Polygamy occurred in wealthy families.
Eskimo religion - cults of spirits and some animals. In the 19th century, the Eskimos did not have a clan or developed tribal organization. As a result of contacts with the newcomer population, great changes occurred in the life of the Eskimos. A significant part moved from marine fishing to hunting for arctic foxes, and in Greenland to commercial fishing. Some Eskimos, especially in Greenland, became hired workers. The Eximos of Western Greenland formed in ethnic community Greenlanders who do not consider themselves Eskimos. In Labrador, the Eskimos mixed to a large extent with the older population of European origin.
IN Russian Federation Eskimos are a small ethnic group living mixed or in close proximity to the Chukchi in a number settlements the eastern coast of Chukotka and on Wrangel Island. Their traditional occupation is marine hunting. The Eskimos were practically not Christianized. They believed in spirits, the masters of all animate and inanimate objects, natural phenomena, localities, wind directions, various human states, and in the kinship of a person with any animal or object. There were ideas about the creator of the world, they called him Sila. He was the creator and master of the universe, and ensured that the customs of his ancestors were observed. The main sea deity, the mistress of sea animals, was Sedna, who sent prey to people. Evil spirits were represented in the form of giants or dwarfs, or other fantastic creatures that sent illness and misfortune to people. In every village there lived a shaman (usually a man, but female shamans are also known), who acted as an intermediary between evil spirits and people.
The Eskimos created original arts and crafts and art. Excavations have uncovered bone harpoon and arrowheads dating back to the end of the first millennium BC, so-called winged objects (presumably decorations on the bows of boats), stylized figurines of people and animals, models of kayaks decorated with images of people and animals, as well as complex carved patterns. Among characteristic species Eskimo art of the 18th-20th centuries - making figurines from walrus tusk (less often soapstone), wood carving, artistic appliqué and embroidery (patterns made of reindeer fur and leather decorating clothes and household items).
Fishing holidays were dedicated to the hunt for large animals. Among Eskimo fairy tales, the cycle about the crow Kutkha occupies a special place. The early stages of the development of Eskimo culture include bone carving: sculptural miniatures and artistic bone engraving. Hunting equipment and household items were covered with ornaments; images of animals and fantastic creatures served as amulets and decorations. Eskimo music (aingananga) is predominantly vocal. Tambourine - personal and family shrine (sometimes used by shamans). It occupies a central place in music.

encyclopedic Dictionary. 2009 .

See what “Eskimos” are in other dictionaries:

Eskimos ... Wikipedia

Eskimos, Eskimos, units. Eskimo, Eskimo, husband A people living along the polar coast of North America and the northeastern tip of Asia. Western Eskimos. Eastern Eskimos (living along the shores and islands of the Bering Sea, the same as... ... Dictionary Ushakova

A tribe numbering about 100 thousand people and settled from the island of Greenland and the island of Labrador through Arctic Canada, northern and western Alaska to eastern Chukotka inclusive. The Eskimos created an original decorative... ... Art encyclopedia

- (self-called Inuit) a group of peoples in Alaska (USA, 38 thousand people, 1992), northern Canada (28 thousand people), o. Greenland (Greenlanders, 47 thousand people) and in the Russian Federation (Magadan region and Wrangel Island, 1.7 thousand people, 1992). Language… … Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

Eskimos, ov, units. os, a, m. A group of peoples living along the polar coast of North America, in Greenland and on the northeastern tip of Asia. Ozhegov's explanatory dictionary. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. 1949 1992 … Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary

A tribe living in the north. Polar, American countries; engaged in hunting and fishing. Dictionary foreign words, included in the Russian language. Chudinov A.N., 1910 ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

A people settled from the eastern tip of Chukotka to Greenland. The total number is about 90 thousand people (1975, estimate). They speak the Eskimo language (See Eskimo language). Anthropologically they belong to the Arctic type of Mongoloids. Uh... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

People settled from the east. the tip of Chukotka to Greenland. Total number approx. 90 thousand people (1974, assessment). The Eskimo language belongs to the Eskimo-Aleut family of languages. Anthropologically, E. belong to the Arctic. Mongoloid type. As people... ... Soviet historical encyclopedia

Eskimos- representatives of the people living in Chukotka and Kamchatka (as well as in the USA). Eskimos are distinguished by their great unpretentiousness, diligence, willpower and endurance. They are friendly and condescending in their relations with representatives of other ethnic... Ethnopsychological Dictionary

Eskimos- Eskimos, ov, plural (ed Eskimo, a, m). A group of peoples living in Alaska (USA), northern Canada, Greenland and the Russian Federation (in the Magadan region and Wrangel Island); people belonging to this group of peoples; language Eskimo, Eskimo... ... Explanatory dictionary of Russian nouns

Books

• How Eskimos Keep Their Children Warm, or The Most Practical Approach to Raising Your Child, by May-Lin Hopgood. The American journalist talks in a fascinating manner about methods of raising children in different countries. With a great deal of humor and cheerful irony, she shares her impressions of how...

The roots of Eskimo culture go back to the 8th-9th centuries, when the ancestors of modern Eskimos from the Thule culture settled in Nunavik, a region occupying the northern half of Quebec in Canada, and by the 13th century settled in Greenland. However family ties between the Thule and the Paleo-Eskimo peoples who previously lived in this territory - representatives of the Dorset, Independence and Saqqaq cultures have not yet been established.

It is worth noting that the term “Paleo-Eskimos” was proposed by anthropologist Hans Stinsbai at the beginning of the twentieth century. Paleo-Eskimos is a collective name for the ancient population of the Arctic, including representatives different cultures, who ate the meat of seabirds, reindeer, whales, fish and shellfish. Their westernmost site was discovered by Soviet archaeologists in 1975 on Wrangel Island. It was there, in the Devil's Ravine (the name of the site), that the oldest harpoon discovered in Chukotka, which is approximately 3360 years old, was discovered. Also, Paleo-Eskimo cultures developed in parallel with each other in different territories and succeeded each other very unevenly.

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The Saqqaq culture is the oldest of known to science cultures of southern Greenland. In 2010, the journal Science published a study by scientists from the University of Copenhagen who found that the Eskimos of the Saqqaq culture migrated to Greenland and Alaska from Siberia approximately 5.5 thousand years ago and that their closest relatives were the Chukchi and Koryaks, and not modern inhabitants of the region . Scientists cannot answer questions about what happened to the Saqqaq culture and why it disappeared.

The Saqqaq culture and other cultures that coexisted with it were replaced by the Dorset culture (beginning of the 1st millennium BC - beginning of the 2nd millennium AD), which spread in the northeast of modern Canada, the Canadian Arctic archipelago, and western and northeastern Greenland. Its representatives replaced the bow and arrows with a spear, spear and harpoon, and used stone lamps with fat to illuminate their homes. The tribes of the Dorset culture made figurines from bone, tusk of sea animals and wood, and decorated them with linear patterns.

Eskimos are the people who have long inhabited the territory of Chukotka in the Russian Federation, Alaska in the United States of America, Nunavut in Canada and Greenland. The total number of Eskimos is about 170 thousand people. The largest number of them live in the Russian Federation - about 65 thousand people. In Greenland there are about 45 thousand people, in the United States of America - 35 thousand people. and in Canada - 26 thousand people.

Origin of the people

Literally, “Eskimo” means a person who eats meat. But in different countries they are called differently. In Russia these are Yugyts, that is, real people, in Canada - Inuits, and in Greenland - Tladlits.

When wondering where the Eskimo lives, you must first understand who these people are. interesting people. The origins of the Eskimos are still considered a controversial issue today. There is an opinion that they belong to ancient population in the Bering region. Their ancestral home may have been the northeast of Asia, and from there the settlers settled to the northwest of America through

Asian Eskimos today

The Eskimos of North America live in the harsh Arctic zone. They occupy mainly the coastal part of the north of the mainland. And in Alaska, Eskimo settlements occupy not only coastal strip, but also some islands. The people living on the Copper River are almost completely assimilated with the local Indians. Just like in Russia, in the United States of America there are very few settlements in which only Eskimos live. Their predominant numbers are located on the territory of Cape Barrow, on the banks of the Kobuka, Nsataka and Colville rivers, as well as along

The life and culture of the Greenlandic Eskimos and their relatives from Canada and the United States of America are similar. However, today their dugouts and utensils have mostly become a thing of the past. Since the mid-twentieth century, the construction of houses, including multi-storey ones, began to develop intensively in Greenland. Therefore, the home of the Eskimos has changed significantly. More than fifty percent of the population began to use electricity and gas burners. Almost all Greenlandic Eskimos now prefer European clothing.

Lifestyle

The life of this people is divided into summer and winter modes of existence. For a long time, the main occupation of the Eskimos was hunting. In winter, the main prey of hunters is seals, walruses, various cetaceans, and sometimes bears. This fact explains why the territory where the Eskimo lives is almost always located on the sea coast. The skins of seals and the fat of killed animals have always served these people faithfully and helped them survive in the harsh Arctic conditions. In summer and autumn, men hunt birds, small game and even fish.

It should be noted that the Eskimos are not nomadic tribes. Despite the fact that during the warm season they are constantly on the move, they spend the winter in one place for several years.

Unusual housing

To imagine what the Eskimos live in, you need to understand their way of life and rhythm. Due to the peculiar seasonality, Eskimos also have two types of housing - tents for summer living and These dwellings are unique in their own way.

When creating summer tents, their volume to accommodate at least ten people is taken into account. A structure is created from fourteen poles and covered with skins in two layers.

During the cold season, the Eskimos came up with something different. Igloos are snow huts that are... winter option their housing. They reach about four meters in diameter and two meters in height. People are provided with lighting and heating thanks to seal oil, which is found in bowls. Thus, the room temperature rises to twenty degrees above zero. These homemade lamps are used to cook food and melt snow to produce water.

As a rule, two families live in one hut. Each of them occupies its own half. Naturally, housing gets dirty very quickly. Therefore, it is destroyed and a new one is built in another place.

Preservation of the Eskimo ethnic group

A person who has visited the lands where the Eskimo lives will not forget the hospitality and goodwill of this people. There is a special feeling of hospitality and kindness here.

Despite the beliefs of some skeptics about the disappearance of the Eskimos from the face of the earth in the nineteenth or twentieth centuries, these people persistently prove the opposite. They managed to survive in the difficult conditions of the Arctic climate, create their own original culture and prove enormous resilience.

The unity of the people and their leaders plays a big role in this. Such examples are the Greenlandic and Canadian Eskimos. Photos, video reports, relationships with other species of the population prove that they were able not only to survive in a harsh environment, but also to achieve greater political rights, as well as gain respect in the world movement among the aborigines.

Unfortunately, on the territory of the Russian Federation, the socio-economic situation of the indigenous population looks a little worse and requires support from the state.